5 Foot, Mother of Two Goes from 210 lbs to 166 lbs and still losing (winning)

Every story I hear from a client inspires me to push harder in my own workouts and in my own life. I would like to introduce you to Mallory who has been at the Fit Moms Transformation Center for just over 3 months.

Don’t let her small stature fool you, she is a mom on a mission and it has been awesome to see her journey. Check out her story below and then I will come back at the end with a couple observations.

Share a little bit about yourself and your background with your health and fitness.

I’m a Pediatric RN, mommy and wife. I grew up in a large family on a small farm in Northern WI. Money was tight growing up and therefore our diet resembled my parents budget. My mom did her best to make healthy meals with what she had. We had a garden and raised our own beef. I learned that meals needed lots of meat and very little green stuff, as my dad referred to it as “cow food” or “grass”. My mom always attempted to have a vegetable and/or fruit with every meal despite my fathers view point. After leaving the farm I married my high school sweetheart Nick and we brought two beautiful boys into the world. He has loved me at my heaviest and through this whole health journey.

I was moderately active all the way through high school but always struggled with keeping weight off. At 17 I became the manager at a fast food restaurant and increased my poor eating habits. After high school I became lazy, it was easier to eat out then cook. Also whenever I was stressed or upset I found comfort in food. The stress of nursing school and the birth of my first son Gavin brought me to the heaviest, and it was eye opening. I was sitting at 210lbs on my 5ft frame. While looking at our beautiful family picture I only felt shame. In the summer of 2012 after graduating from nursing school I decided it was time to lose the weight.

My husband would ask to do active things and I would make excuses, I didn’t want to be the fat girl with the good looking guy. Physically active things always seemed to come easy to him and I often felt left behind. I made my first goal to just keep up with him. If he was walking fast into a store instead of saying slow down, I tried to keep his pace. This was not an easy feet! I then learned of Couch to 5k and surprised Nick by telling him I downloaded the app and was going to run a 5k. He was supportive right away and joined me. We ran our first 5K spring 2013! I got down to 170lbs by the end of the summer and also found out I was pregnant with my second son Corbin. I gained back most the weight while pregnant and at six months postpartum had made it to 180lbs only to gain back 10bs while breastfeeding. That’s when I heard of Dustin’s Santa Slim Down/Pay to lose challenge, I watched the video about the challenge multiple times and finally built up the courage to tell Nick that I was going to join a community that I had never heard of, drop $150 and go to boot camp. At first he seemed more skeptical then me, but quickly became the supportive husband he has always been. I started the challenge November 30, 2014 weighing 190lbs. And now on March 9, 2015, 100 days later, I am down to 166lbs!

Where was your life before being introduced to my program?

I had hit a wall and was becoming more frustrated with my weight. I looked back on the summer of 2013 and wondered if I’d ever be able to do it all over again. I honestly was feeling depressed. I had seen many mothers lose the weight after having a baby with just breastfeeding. I didn’t lose, I gained! It is crazy how intensely hungry you are while breastfeeding.

How did you hear about my program?

I heard about Dustin’s program through a Facebook post on the No Excuse Mom’s Madison’s page.

As you were in the program what were you enjoying? What were some of the challenges you had to overcome?

I love the community. All of the people I have met and worked out with are encouraging, helpful and friendly. Dustin and the trainers are excellent, I have never felt as if I didn’t belong there. The workouts are intense but the feeling of achievement at the end is worth the burning muscles. At first I had to overcome the little voice in my head telling me I was crazy. On day two when I couldn’t sit on the toilet or walk stairs I was convinced this was the biggest mistake ever… Ouch! But the pain went away and only strength remained, strength I honestly thought I never would have. I can do a real push up now and I actually don’t dread burpees.

How is your life different now than it was before being introduced to my program?

I have energy and I feel good in my body! I have found myself holding my head higher. My diet has changed and so has my families. We buy fruit and veggies in bulk and limit sweets and added sugars. I’ve been cooking more meals at home and packing my lunch for work so I know what I’m eating.

How has the reaction been with your friends and family. Do they treat you differently? Do they try to sabotage your results? How have you handled all of that?

My family and friends have commented on my weight loss and most of it has been positive. I have never taken compliments well so it’s something I struggle with. My family does point out when I eat an unhealthy snack but I know that having a cookie on occasion is not going to ruin what I have accomplished.

What is your eating like now?

The movie Fed Up was an absolute eye opener, I watched it with my husband during the challenge. Within a week we got a babysitter and went on a shopping mission to change the food we keep in our home. We read labels and discussed our overall goal for not only our health, but the health of our boys. We aimed to buy more fresh produce and limit all added sugar. This has been a huge positive change for my family. It has been great having my husband and I on the same page about what we are feeding our family.

A typical day for me:

Breakfast:

2 eggs poached

Greek yogurt

Banana or cup of berries

Water

Lunch:

Lean turkey breast

Colby jack cheese slice

Cut veggies with dill dip

Apple

Skinny pop

Water with lemon

Dinner:

Sautéed green beans and mushrooms

Chicken breast

Quinoa

Water

Snacks:

Dried apple slices

Fresh fruit

Almonds with raisins and a table spoon of dark chocolate chips

Water

Lastly your best friend comes up to you and is considering joining the program you were just on. What would you say to them?

Come with me and see what it’s about, the community speaks for itself!

I think the coolest part of her story was the support and excitement her husband had as she began her journey. Spousal support is the most powerful support you can get, and Mallory is blessed to have it.

Like just about everyone who starts one of our programs the first week is brutal and your muscles hurt to the touch, but let Mallory remind you it is only a temporary pain and will only last about a week.

Lastly, even though she was bigger starting out, she felt comfortable, safe, and not judged. This is radically different than many places she could have gone to start her journey and what makes the TC and the Fit Moms for Life worldwide community so special. Women supporting each other.